Study on the application of general body ultrasound for ophthalmic use

ABSTRACT

In the Philippine setting, hospitals, particularly government, provincial and regional hospitals are equipped with general body scanners. Ophthalmic ultrasound particularly the ocular B-scan ultrasound is not available. Can a B-scan general body ultrasound be used for visualizing gross intra-ocular disease? It is the objective of this study to describe the usefulness of a 7.5MHz general body ultrasound in detecting and supporting diagnosis for specific intra-ocular conditions. After a thorough history and physical examination, a total of 11 eyes were examined with diagnosis of retinal detachments, vitreous hemorrhage, dislocated lens, intra-ocular foreign body and a normal eye for comparison. All examinations were done by only one senior radiology resident. Results obtained from the 7.5MHz transducer were compared to either an ophthalmic B-scan ultrasound, X-rays or as reported by direct visualization. The result of this study is encouraging because the 7.5MHz B-scan general body ultrasound transducer was able to help in the diagnosis of intraocular diseases and intraocular foreign bodies especially when the posterior pole was not visible.